A Parts Manufacturer Approval is an FAA design and manufacturing approval for aircraft, engine, or propeller part. A company can only receive approval after the FAA (or Designated Engineering Representatives (DER)) has reviewed the submission package and MIDO has reviewed the production quality system to verify the part that shall be produced will be to the FAA approved design. PMA parts are typically used as a replacement for an Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) part. The FAA states, a produced part must be “Equal to or better than” OEM. So why PMA and not OEM? It comes down to two reasons: cost and availability.
Cost:
OEM replacement parts are expensive, overhaul is where OEMs made their money as the aircraft and/or engine would be sold on slim margin because it was understood profit would come in later years. The OEM part has the R&D cost and the profit margin factored in forcing the cost up year after year. Parts Manufacturing Approval (PMA) parts are sold at a fraction of the cost of the same OEM parts because they build on the work the OEM has already completed. Instead of starting from scratch, PMA manufacturers can reverse engineer (more on this next month) parts and build on the current design. Data has shown, PMA parts can reduce cost by 30-50%, major savings!
Availability:
As aircraft and engines age, OEM support of parts slows down as they focus on new products. As OEM supports declines, finding parts becomes harder and more expensive. This is where Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) comes in, companies can gain PMAs to produce the needed parts to keep the aircraft and engines flying long after OEM support has gone away. The parts produced will be lower than the original cost of the OEM and readily available allowing your overhaul or repair to stay on track and get you back in the air. PMA parts can be produced for legacy aircraft all the way to the latest geared turbofans!
In summary, PMA parts are here to reduce cost and lower lead times. DERs are here to help you increase your speed to market by reviewing and providing 8110-3s. If you need assistance with how to properly prepare your certification documents for submission to the FAA, contact us today!
Comments